Marvin Barnes
Marvin Jerome Barnes (born July 27 1952, in Providence, Rhode Island) is a former professional American Basketball player. A 6'9" Forward (basketball) from Providence College, Barnes (nicknamed "Bad News" and "The Magnificent") played in the American Basketball Association from 1974 to 1976 and in the National Basketball Association from 1976 to 1980. He had his greatest success in the ABA, where he starred for the Spirits of St. Louis and was named Rookie of the Year for the 1974–75 season. He also shares the ABA record for most two-point Field goal (basketball)s in a game, with 27. In 2005, the American Basketball Association, the second incarnation of the ABA, named one of their divisions after him. Infamous for his multiple arrests, he was also known as "Tire Iron" Barnes for assaulting his teammate a tire iron. Personal life Marvin Barnes had been given the name, “Bad News Barnes” for being known as the bad boy back in high school. Yet he continued to add to this reputation throughout the years, and his wrongdoings seemed to get exponentially worse. He went from getting ejected from high schools basketball games for fighting to getting arrested for possession of weapons and narcotics a few years down the road. Despite being one of the best players in the ABA and moving on to play for the several teams in the NBA, Barnes had a drug addiction that hindered his talent and potential. Barnes started out his short lived NBA career with the Detroit Pistons, where he was nothing but a nuisance to the team. He was the only player who did not show up to the initial training camp and was suspended for his actions. From the years of 1976 to 1980, he played for four different teams in the NBA. He was unable to stay grounded at any one organization since his drug addiction was turning him into an unreliable and selfish player. There were periods of several days where Barnes would skip games and practices with no explanation. No team wanted to put up with this and found it almost impossible to write a contract for the young athlete. After being banned from the NBA for life, Barnes had been convicted of several felonies and had would up in prison for seven years. Drugs had not only destroyed his talent, but ruined his life as well. Being treated in nearly 20 different rehabilitation programs, Barnes overcame his addiction. Going back to his roots, he founded The Rebound Foundation in Providence, which is a program that guides troubled teens through the steps of overcoming addiction. Barnes wanted to help these kids before they were completely engulfed by drug addictions. He realized that hearing the truth from someone who experienced an addiction first hand is the best way to get through to people. His motivation had run out and once again, Barnes had been arrested once on May 16, 2007 for possession of Cocaine in Providence. He was shortly released after promising to inquire about help for his problem. Due to this setback, he had to stay away from The Rebound Foundation until he straightened out his personal life. External links *Marvin Barnes page at RememberTheABA.com *Career stats at basketball-reference.com *"ABA Names Division After Marvin "Bad News" Barnes", article at abalive.com References